Biology

Dialga is a dark blue sauropod-like Pokémon with some gray metallic portions, such as its chestplate, which has a diamond in the center. It also has various light blue stripes. It has a fin-like structure on its back and a crest on its head, resembling a dinosaur. Dialga also has two horns on top of its head, two fang-like horns around its mouth, three spines on the back of its neck, long claws, and a short tail. The wing-like structure on its back can be used to focus the flow of time, as seen in Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky.

Dialga can warp time by either speeding it up, slowing it down, or stopping it altogether. As Dialga primarily resides in a different dimension, its behavior is nearly impossible to study. It has been shown to be very protective of its home. It also tends to have violent conflicts with its counterpart, Palkia. Dialga is the only known Pokémon that can learn Roar of Time.

In the manga

In the movie adaptations

In the twelfth movie manga adaption, Dialga, along with the members of its trio, was summoned by Sheena to help Ash and his friends. Dialga, Palkia, Giratina battle Arceus and it soon puts Sheena and the others in the past to uncover the betrayal Sheena's ancestor made.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Dialga, along with Palkia, was summoned by Cyrus in the Diamond & Pearl chapter in order to create a new world. Cyrus used the Red Chains to force Dialga and Palkia to fight each other in order to distort time and space and create a portal that would swallow the existing world. Diamond, Pearl and Platinum worked together with their Pokémon to free Dialga and Palkia from their controlled states.

Later on, an accident with handling Charon's machine caused Dialga, Palkia and Cyrus to be dragged into the portal before it closed completely. In the Platinum chapter, it was revealed that Giratina imprisoned both Dialga and Palkia in the Distortion World before setting off into the current dimension to wreak havoc. Soon, Cyrus and Diamond met in the Distortion World, and agreed to free Dialga and Palkia using their Pokémon. Dialga and Palkia later resumed their struggle against Giratina in the Distortion World. When Charon decided to escape from the Distortion World on Giratina, Diamond got on Dialga and chased after him. Giratina was eventually defeated, with Dialga and Palkia forcing it back into the Distortion World for good, before both returned to the Spear Pillar.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

In the TCG

Other appearances

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Dialga appears as a stage Pokémon in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, along with Palkia, Cresselia, and the lake guardians on the stage Spear Pillar. It affects the stage much differently than that of its counterpart, such as slowing down time, and even going off its post to attack the players in the middle. It can also distort the stage, like Palkia, but only slightly and not as extreme, as well as shoot beams from various locations.

Trophy Information

"A Temporal Pokémon. This legendary Pokémon is talked about as a deity in fables passed down through generations in the Sinnoh region. Identifiable by the diamondlike crystal in the center of its chest, Dialga is said to have set time in motion at the moment of its birth. Its fearsome Roar of Time attack is so powerful that it must refrain from attacking on the next turn. It is Diamond's mascot."

Game data

NPC appearances

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of DarknessPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky: Dialga appears in the main storyline, but mostly as Primal Dialga. In the future, because of the collapse of the Temporal Tower, Dialga has lost control of itself and has entered a state of self-preservation, keeping time frozen and refusing to let it flow properly. When the player and partner return from the future and arrive at the collapsing Tower, they must beat partial Primal Dialga in battle, who has almost completely turned Primal, and restore the Tower. After putting some sense into it, Dialga is so grateful that it revives the player (who was erased from existence). After going back to Dialga at the top of Temporal Tower, it decides that the player wants a rematch. Once defeated, Dialga joins the player's team.

Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia: Dialga appears as a bonus boss during one of the Ranger Net extra missions. Dialga was injured from a battle with Palkia and entered Almia Castle to recover. It caused a time distortion due to its wounds and sent the main character and Wendy back in time to before the events of the game started by using Roar of Time.

Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs: Dialga appears in the optional Ranger Net extra mission Pledge to Arceus. It must be captured along with its counterparts Palkia and Giratina in the Sky Fortress to access Arceus.

The spikes on Dialga's back, at a certain point of view, look similar to a time gear. In the anime, when Dialga uses Roar of Time, the spine extends and the five spikes become thinner and more pronounced.

Dialga is the first Legendary Pokémon to have a role in three different movies.

According to Junichi Masuda's blog, the Spanish translation team suggested changing the name Dialga because of its similarity to the word alga, seaweed.

Origin

Dialga, along with Palkia, may be based on the Shinto legend of Izanami and Izanagi, who are said to have created one island with a spear, erected a pillar on it, and from there created the islands of Japan. Appearance-wise, Dialga seems to be based on short-necked sauropod dinosaurs such as Camarasaurus or Brachytrachelopan. Its type is Steel possibly due to the hardness of diamonds, or the fact that most parts of a clock are made of metal, such as the gears. It may also be because diamonds are compressed carbon, and steel is a alloy from iron and carbon. Its turquoise pattern on its body is vaguely reminiscent to clock hands, where the ends of the "clock hands" are diamond-shaped.

Name origin

Dialga is derived from diamond. Ga may be a corruption of gon from dragon. It may also involve dia (Spanish for day, referring to a unit of time) or dial (as in sundial, an instrument used to tell time using shadows on a clock face).

In other languages

Language

Title

Meaning

Japanese

ディアルガ Dialga

Derived from ダイヤモンド diamond. Ga may be a corruption of gon from dragon. May also involve dia (Spanish for day, referring to a unit of time) or dial (as in sundial, an instrument used to tell time using shadows on a clock face).